Itawamba sweeps Northeast

Northeast Mississippi Community College’s men and women’s basketball teams fell to Itawamba Community College at the Bonner Arnold Coliseum (BAC) on Saturday, February 12.

It was sophomore day at the BAC. Northeast honored its eight upperclassmen players for both the men and women’s teams along with the Lady Tigers’ manager Brittany Downs and statistician Zack Franks.

In game one, Coach Ricky Ford’s Lady Tigers dropped to 10-11 overall and 5-6 in the North Division after the Lady Indians picked up a four-point victory 78-74.

The only two sophomores for Coach Ford this season, Chelsey Whitaker and Amber Johnson, played well in there last home game at the BAC. Whitaker had a double-double with 10-points and 10 boards while Johnson hit 18 points in her effort.

Freshman Anna Brooke Page led the way with 22-points and 10 rebounds for Northeast. Itawamba’s Jameika Hoskins scored a game high 25-points followed by teammate Mandy Collins who added 14.

Coach Ford’s squad led by two at the break 33-31 but were outscored in the second frame 47-41.

On the men’s side, Coach David Robbins paid tribute to his six upperclassmen, Tyler Pritchard, Cody Garrett, Nick Tate, Josey Pettigrew, Tyler Reed, and John David Little.

Unfortunately, these sophomores were unable to pull off the win in there last home game as the Tigers fell to the Indians 77-66.

In the first half, the Tigers (10-12, 6-5) clung to a one-point lead 39-38 but couldn’t hang on down the stretch as the Indians (12-8, 6-3) moved into the number two spot in the division with the win.

Top performers for Northeast were Robert Wade, who had 23-points and seven boards, and Cedric Janes who added 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Itawamba had four players score in double-digits with Melvin Morgan leading the way with 19, while Todd Nelson collected 17, along with Wendell Williams’ who pitched in 13 followed by Nick Moncure’s 11.

With the loss, the Tigers dropped to the number three spot in the division sitting just behind second place Itawamba and first place East Mississippi. The Lady Tigers sit at the fourth spot in divisional play and must win on Monday night verses Mississippi Delta Community College to qualify for the post-season.